Anything is possible for Quintrevion Wisner, the new No. 5

In 2023, running back Quintrevion Wisner arrived in Austin not even as a top-30 recruit in his class, a three-star overshadowed by players like Rueben Owens and Quinten Joyner in his own state and position.

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The story from there is well known to many of our readers. A special teams standout in his freshman season, No. 26 knew he would have an opportunity to play in a running back room that had just lost two players to the NFL Draft. That opportunity turned into a lead role as CJ Baxter suffered a preseason injury and Jaydon Blue struggled with fumbles. Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, the No. 5 RB in the class, was the only player in his cohort with more rushing yards in 2024.

Wisner now enters the 2025 season as the most experienced running back in his room. With both Jonathon Brooks and Blue in the NFL, Baxter and Wisner are the only two backs from the Big 12 Championship-winning team still on the roster, and Wisner has 100 more carries than Baxter at this point in their careers.

“I feel like I ran the ball hard,” Wisner said. “I took that like a chip on my shoulder, just to be a hard-running running back.”

Anyone familiar with Wisner’s game knows that to be true. His signature performance came against Texas A&M, where he grinded through a 33-carry game for over 200 all-purpose yards in a 17-7 win in College Station.

“It was truly a blessing to be out there,” Wisner said. “Me being a Texas kid, I didn’t really know a lot about the rivalry between Texas A&M and Texas. Just to learn more about the rivalry going into the game, and to be able to go out there and put on a show for my family and friends back home, and then for my teammates that I went out there and played with, it was definitely a true blessing.”

With another offseason underway, head coach Steve Sarkisian has emphasized operating his spring practices like an NFL team. Wisner has been able to work more closely with new running backs coach Chad Scott, and the running back room is now deeper than it was in 2024, featuring a healthier Baxter, Christian Clark, and Jerrick Gibson, now in his second year in the program.

As Inside Texas has reported, Wisner may not have to shoulder as much in 2025. Taking 207 carries in 12 games between the SEC and postseason is not optimal for the Longhorns’ success moving forward. Where Wisner most excels is in the passing game. He’s an above-average pass blocker and a strong pass catcher, both on screens and when he is put in motion or lined up in a more traditional wide receiver position.

When you think about a pass-catching running back, elusive players like Jahmyr Gibbs or Alvin Kamara usually come to mind, which is why Wisner has identified a main part of his game he’s looking to improve as the season draws closer.

“The thing I’m working on the most is making safeties miss in the open field,” Wisner said. “A lot of my runs last year could have hit home, but I wasn’t really comfortable sticking off one foot and making a safety miss in the open field.”

Wisner’s track record already positions him as a potential NFL Draft pick after this season, but adding home-run potential to his game will not only make him more appealing to the next level but also add another layer to a Texas offense desperate for high-level returning production.

Now donning the No. 5, symbolic of the ‘Wisner 5’ (his own family’s nickname for their five members), Wisner is poised to lead a room of young runners and an offense filled with youth to another historic season in Austin.

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“Me and Cedric are some of the older guys in the room. It’s definitely important for us to just let the younger guys know anything is possible,” Wisner said. “As long as you put your head into it, put your work into it, anything is possible.”